March 20th. 1916.
Dear Miss Addams,
Your letter written to Dr. Jacobs from Colorado reached us March 17th. and we were indeed deeply grieved to learn about your serious indisposition. We hope the rest will do you good and that within soon you shall be able to take up some of your work again.
You can understand how very disappointed we are as we should have liked to hold a Committee meeting in April. However we do not think that our different members would get permits to come to this meeting, so therefore it is ever so much better to postpone it. We hope to get a cable from you as soon as your doctor will consent to let you cross the ocean, as then we shall at once let our members know and fix the date of the meeting. By the enclosed Circular Letter No.13 you will see that we have received different proposals as to where the meeting should be held. As soon as we get the answers in we shall cable to you what the majority wishes.
We however do not think it will be possible to hold it in New York as many countries would not let the women go to the States just now.
Miss Macmillan has left the 14th. of February and we do not think she will be allowed to return.
Miss Manus who has been ill a few weeks and on account of that and of Miss Macmillan's absence the work had to be put off a little as Dr. Jacobs has absolutely no time to sacrifice to all the details of the office.
We also should have liked to go to England for a few days as we are afraid the Committee over there cannot communicate enough with us, however, the crossing lately seems so dangerous that we do not find it advisable to go just now. The difficulty about the communication is also with the other countries. Very often, letters do not seem to reach their destination and the News-Sheet does not go through. These difficulties make it indeed very hard to keep the work of the International Headquarters going, but we also feel we must keep them [until] a meeting has taken place. [page 2]
It is our opinion that we, in those circumstances, should not take up new branches of work, but that we must try to remain in contact with the women of so many countries as we can reach, till better times are born. Please tell us if you agree.
We are sorry to say that the money which should have come from Miss [Breckinridge] has not yet reached us. This is indeed a great pity as it would have been most welcome to us. We hope there will be one way or another to send it to us.
Dr. J. [initialed]
R. M. [initialed]
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